The Journey for Happiness
by Kosia Sama
Summary: Itachi and Sasuke, separated by their dominating and controlling father, both wanting nothing more than to spend their lives standing beside their brother. Or do they perhaps desire more? The hidden desires of a brother can be dangerous, and yet indescribably freeing. But a dark secret threatens the happiness they both seek, can they overcome, the sins of the father?


"Oww! Aniki!" Cried a frustrated Sasuke. He had spent the past hour trying to beat his older brother Itachi in a race home from the supermarket, only to lose and receive his usual torment from his favourite brother.

"How do you always manage to hit the same spot?" He complained as he rubbed at his forehead while trying his hardest to keep his frown in place as he fought off laughter. Itachi was not buying it, he loved it when Sasuke tried to look angry because all he achieved was an extremely cute and adorable little pout. He closed his eyes as he laughed at the amusing expression on Sasuke's face and turned to open the door.

"Sorry Otouto, I guess you're getting to old to be poked by me…" He trailed off with a knowing smirk.

_3, 2, 1..._he counted in his head as he waited for his brothers response.

"Hn…. Didn't say that…." He heard Sasuke mutter while he blushed and looked at the foot he was scuffing along the pavement. Itachi chuckled as he opened his eyes and fumbled with the keys to the front door, letting himself and his brother in.

"We're back!" They called in unison, looking at each other and sharing a small chuckle.

"Welcome back boys, put the bags in the kitchen. Itachi… your father wants to speak to you." The smile slid from his face and the laughter left his eyes.

"Hai, mother." He placed his bags in the kitchen as asked and headed through the house, trying to guess how today's discussion was going to turn out. He composed his features into a hard mask as he knocked on the door to his fathers study and waited.

"Come in." Came his fathers harsh response. Itachi took a deep, steadying breath and opened the door.

"Mother said you wanted to see me father?" He asked respectfully, taking the allocated seat opposite his frowning father.

_Here we go…_ He thought.

"Itachi you are not trying hard enough in your studies. You have done well to get such high grades throughout your years at the academy but this is your last year. If you do not focus yourself now then you will not surpass what you have already achieved. You need to apply yourself properly and progress." He said forcefully.

"Father…" He began but he was cut off as his father raised a hand and he fell silent.

"I have spoken with a private school in Tokyo." He stated bluntly. Itachi stared with wide eyes as his father continued. "They have agreed to accept you even though the application deadline was last week."

"Father!" Itachi tried more forcefully to make himself heard.

"You leave tomorrow. You will be staying at the Uchiha residence there and you will work hard to surpass your current grades. You will then attend their college, complete the work experience they assign you and you will stay on after until you are ready to put into effect your own business plan." He finished with finality. Itachi glared at his father and opened his mouth to reply that he would be doing no such thing when the door to the study burst open and a tear-ridden Sasuke flew into his lap, throwing his arms around his neck and holding him tightly.

"No! Aniki! Don't leave me!" He wailed loudly through his tears, gripping Itachi's shirt tightly. Itachi raised his arms around his brother and held him tightly.

"Sasuke! Shhh… It's OK. Sasuke! Hey…" He tried to calm his younger brother, soothing him as best he could.

"Sasuke." His father did not shout but there was an authority in his voice that cut off Itachi and made Sasuke look over at the old man. "You will be disciplined for barging in here without permission as well as for eavesdropping. You dishonour our family." He said with no emotion. Itachi glared at his father and thought quickly.

"I'll go." He said simply.

"Nii-san!" Wailed a distraught Sasuke.

"**IF**… you pardon Sasuke's forgetfulness. If you will pass over his punishment then I will go and pack this second and do as you ask without resistance." He told his father, a little shocked at his own daring. His father was also shocked it seemed. He looked at his eldest son and took time to consider him. After what seemed like an age he nodded in acceptance and waved his hand for them to leave. Sasuke wailed all the louder as Itachi breathed an internal sigh of relief and left the study without another word.

"Nii-san…! Please don't leave me!" Sasuke was mewling pitifully into his shirt, crying for all he was worth at the thought of losing his beloved brother. Itachi breathed a heavy sigh as he carried his baby brother to his room.

"Sasuke… your too old to be crying like this you know. Your 12, you really should be grown out of this…" He said as kindly as he could, now that he was to be leaving he needed to be sure Sasuke wasn't punished regularly for being such a softy.

_Mom sure as hell wont stick up for him… poor kid is gonna have to grow up fast if he stands any chance of surviving here now. Sasuke… I wish you could come too, I hate having to leave you but you've made it impossible for me to stay!_He thought as he set his brother down on his bed. He tried to detach his little brother so that he could look him in the eyes but this only made Sasuke cry harder and cling tighter to him. He closed his eyes and sighed as he sat himself cross-legged on the floor, pulling Sasuke into his lap and cradling him. He began to rub the boys back and let him cry himself out.

_What the hell am I gonna do…?_ He thought desperately. He opened his eyes and started to hum quietly, soothing the desolate feeling they were both sharing and rested his chin on top of Sasuke's head.

After what could well have been more than half an hour, the tears had stopped and Itachi looked down at his brother. The look of despair, betrayal and emptiness that Sasuke gave him melted his heart. He felt something on his cheek and he found he had let tears of his own leak through his defences. Sasuke saw his the tears on his brothers cheeks and unwrapped himself, releasing the older Uchiha and leaning upwards. Itachi's eyes bulged as his baby brother kissed away the tears on his cheek and then looked him in the eyes.

"Aniki… If I'm too old to cry then so are you. I wont cry if you don't. I promise… I'm sorry I made father mad." Itachi sat frozen, his mind racing.

_Sasuke…_He blushed dark and then forced a small smile onto his face.

"Foolish otouto…" He said, but in a soft voice. "It's not your fault Sasuke. I was going to argue with father myself but I didn't want him to punish you… I thought the best way to do that was to agree." Itachi saw the shock fly across Sasuke's face and saw the tears leak from his eyes again. "Hey. Remember your promise…" he said as he leaned down and kissed away his tears in return, which made Sasuke blush profoundly and made his heart pound suddenly.

_Sasuke please don't make this harder_… He thought picking the boy up and placing him on his bed.

"I'm sorry Sasuke… I have to pack now." He said with a sad smile. He ran a hand through his brothers hair and turned to pack his belongings, ready for the morning.

Sasuke watched his brother from the bed for awhile before he got up and ran off to his own room, slamming the door behind him.

_Sasuke… please don't hate me._ Itachi thought as he stared after his brother, torn as to what he should do. With a heavy heart, he walked over to his bedroom door and shut it quietly. He leant his back up against the door and raised his hands to cover his face as he sank to his knees. Tears over-flowed as he sobbed as quietly as possible, trying not to let his baby brother hear him. After only a few minutes he forced himself to his feet and dried his face, cutting off his emotions completely as he again began to pack his things ready for the morning.

Itachi woke in the early hours to find himself laying on his front with his feet dangling off the bed.

_Oh damn… what time is it?_ He looked over at the alarm clock and saw the numbers flashing at him. _3.32am... Crap, It's way too early._ He groaned and rolled onto his back, before pushing himself up into a sitting position. He rubbed at the sleep in his eyes and yawned lightly.

"Aniki…" He looked up at the whispering shadow standing apprehensively by the door.

"Sasuke…? What are you doing up at this hour?" He got up and switched on his bedside lamp as he looked over at his little brother. Sasuke was standing by the door fidgeting and looking hesitant. Itachi sat back down on the end of his bed and waited for him patiently.

"Nii-san… You wont forget me will you…?" He blushed as he looked up from under his long eyelashes at his older brother. Itachi was shocked, his jaw dropped and he stared at his brother in disbelief.

_Is he seriously worried that I'll forget him…? How can he think that? He tried to regain control of his voice as he snapped his mouth closed and forced out a smile._

"Foolish otouto…" He said gently. Opening his arms to his baby brother and beckoning him over. Sasuke ran over and threw his arms around his brothers neck.

"What makes you think such things? I could never forget you…" He said in his ear. He pulled Sasuke to sit down while he knelt in front of the boy and took hold of his chin so he could look him straight in the eye. "You are the most important person in the world to me." He said seriously, hoping it would sink in to the boy. Sasuke looked like he was having an internal war and Itachi waited patiently for him to reply.

"Nii-san…" He whispered before he leant himself forward and lightly brushed his lips over Itachi's. "I love you Nii-san." Itachi's eyes flew open in shock and he stared at Sasuke for a long time.

_Did Sasuke just... Nothing more than brotherly I'm sure... Breath... nothing more than brotherly concern because I'm leaving tomorrow..._His heart fluttered while his features softened and he smiled at Sasuke.

"I love you too Sasuke." He said and hugged the boy tightly. When he pulled away he noticed the piece of paper the boy was holding. "What's this?" He asked, his curiosity tweaked.

"It's for you Nii-san… to make sure you don't forget about me…" Sasuke handed him the piece of paper and Itachi stared at it for a long moment. He had drawn a picture of Itachi and Sasuke holding each other. The words "Just us" were scrawled hastily across the top and it ate into Itachi's heart.

"Sasuke… It's great. Thank you otouto…" He said and he walked over to place the picture in his open suitcase. "Now you had better go back to bed before mother and father realise your not there."

"Nii-san… Can I stay here with you tonight?" The boy asked while looking at the floor and shuffling his feet. "It's your last night here… I want to be with you as much as possible until you leave…" Sasuke blushed bright red as he mumbled. Itachi smiled at the sight of his embarrassed blushing baby brother.

_How does he manage to look so damn cute? It's like the boy has a switch he can flick..._ He thought to himself, pretending to consider the request.

"OK otouto." He said, making the boys face light up like his Christmas had come early.

Sasuke dashed under the covers as Itachi chuckled at him.

"Nii-san… I got you this for your birthday… but you wont be here. Can you open it now please?" Sasuke pleaded with him, bringing out what looked like a screwed up bunch of newspaper.

"Hai…" He sighed as he took the tiny parcel from his brother and opened it quickly. A small necklace with three simple circles fell into his palm and he held it up to his eyes so he could see it better. "Sasuke… It's great. Thank you…" He whispered. He undid the clasp as he reached up and slipped the necklace around his neck before latching it in pace. He smiled at his brother and kissed the top of his head, making him giggle. "I promise I'll never take it off." He leant over and switched out the light as he laid down and wrapped his arms around his brother before they both fell asleep.

Itachi woke slightly early still, planning on returning Sasuke back in his own bed before his father found out he had snuck into Itachi's room. He quietly picked up his little broter and crossed his room. After sucking in a deep breath he opened his door and scouted the hallway for signs of his parents. Seeing none he hastily snuck over to Sasuke's room and let himself in. He placed Sasuke gently on the bed and kissed the top of his head before pulling the covers over him and leaving the room. Once he was out he let out a massive internal sigh and leant his head against the door.

_Sasuke..._ He thought with a heavy heart as he made to head back to his room. Unfortunately his father was stood in his doorway, glaring at him with a look that couldn't be laced.

"Sasuke is your weakness Itachi. You spend too much time with him and it's why you are not surpassing expectations." He stated bluntly.

"Father. Sasuke is no weakness." Said Itachi boldly, returning his fathers glare.

"The boy is useless!" Snapped his father. Itachi felt rage rising and he clenched his hands into tight fists as he fought hard to maintain his exterior calm. "He does not have the potential that you do and you waste your own talent doting on the boy!"

"Father..." Itachi started, trying to keep his voice emotion free and respectful. "Please forgive me for my boldness, but Sasuke is just as talented as I am. He is simply expressing it in different ways. I have said to you I will leave without a fuss so long as you forgive him for today's blunder, but now I feel I have to say..." He paused, taking in the displeased and shocked look on his father face. "If Sasuke is touched even so much as once then I will be returning here to claim him before we both leave the Uchiha name behind us." He finished, eyes blazing in his determination.

"Itachi, you go too far. The boy is none of your concern. He is my son and he shall be raised as I say, not you. He shall be raised the same as you and I were." His father replied.

"Then we shall be leaving now." Said Itachi, turning to grasp Sasuke's door knob.

"Very well." He heard over his shoulder. Itachi dropped his hand and turned back to face his father. "You are a fool to fight so hard for the boy... But very well. If you will go and raise the Uchiha name then the boy shall be left to his own accord." He finished with a look that told Itachi to push the issue any further would end badly for all.

"Thank you father." He said respectfully, even bowing slightly to please his father.

"Hn." Was all he got in return before his father stalked down the hallway. "You leave in an hour Itachi. Be ready." He called back over his shoulder. Itachi felt a cold shiver travel down his spine.

_An hour..? No! It's too soon! I'm not ready!_He thought desperately. He was infact finished packing, he just wasn't ready mentally to be seperated from his brother. He slowly walked back to his room and sank onto the bed, staring blankly at the floor. _Sasuke... At least you should avoid too much hassle now. I hope it was enough... I'm sorry._

He got up and went to his desk, grabbing a sheet of paper and a pen.

**Sasuke...**

**I'm sorry that I cant be here to say goodbye, but please remember...**

**I'm always going to be there for you. Even if you do hate me... That's what big brothers are for.**

**Take care otouto, I hope to see you soon...**

**Itachi**

**P.S... don't let father see you cry. If he finds your weakness, he will always use it against you.**

_I should know..._He thought. He felt bad having to leave this for Sasuke to find when he woke up, but perhaps it was better this way. He took the note and crossed the hall, silently entering Sasuke's room and crossing the room. He stood at the edge of the bed, looking down at the peaceful expression on his baby brother's face. He smiled as he watched his brother fidget in his sleep.

_He's so cute when he's asleep... I'm gonna miss him so much._He thought before he leant down and placed his note beside his brother. He clenched his shaking hands into fists and turned to head out the door. He hesitated and took a deep breath as he took a final look at his sleeping baby brother, before he closed the door and went to collect his things.

_Sasuke..._

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><p><strong>AN:~ I'm sorry fans, that this was taken from you... I was devastated when I realised that someone had hacked and deleted everything from my old account. I have fought back though! I am locked out of my old account, and yet this doesn't faze me. Here, I return to you all, the story which brought us all together. Now, as this profile is new (so to speak) I will be posting the story as if it were new. That means, a chapter a week, until things are as they should be again... I hope you will all review and let me know you will still follow me.**

**I assure you, though the name may be different, I.S.S lives on and will always return to you :)**


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